Strength in numbers could finally be on the side of the Okotoks Marauders.
Entering their fourth season in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League’s Junior B Tier I ranks, the Marauders can at long last lay take comfort in a deep bench of players.
“I felt last year our top players could play with the best in the league,” said Marauders head coach John Millar. “We suffered from a lack of depth. Other teams recognized this and pushed the pace of the game, forcing our goal scorers to fight for every inch of the floor.
“Having our leadership group coming in to the season with a sound understanding of what it takes to win will help bring our young players up to speed, and it shows in our practice ethic.”
Playmaker Taylor McNeill led the team in scoring last season. The slick lefty potted a team high 19 goals and 54 points with the slippery Eric Porter and physical Jacob Gregoryk finishing just behind with 44 and 43, points, respectively. Along with returning captain Matt McKay and hard-shooting Josh Vaines there is a strong core of veteran players that may have been lacking in years past.
“We need our new players to win battles in the neutral zone and defensive end to give our finishers opportunities to bury the ball,” the coach added. “If we win the possession game, our shooting is lethal and we will bury teams.”
Some of those new players will be making the move up a tier without leaving the community.
The dissolution of the Okotoks Tier II Ice gives the Marauders an added pool of players to draw from.
“We had hoped that having both teams we could use the Tier II team to develop young players and bring them to the higher league with a better fundamental understanding of the Junior game,” Millar said. “Unfortunately, the reality was that trying to get the necessary coaching and volunteers to support two teams was harder than we thought and focusing our effort on the Tier I team and running with a larger roster should help in the end.”
The Marauders have finished no higher than second last in the South Division in their three seasons. Following back-to-back five win campaigns, Okotoks suffered its low watermark as a young franchise last season with a record of 2-16-2.
Given the roster shifts in the division those wins loss numbers could see some movement. Perennial provincial hopefuls and Founders’ Cup bronze medallists, the Calgary Mountaineers, lost a good deal of players to graduation including Okotoks brothers Josh and Jacob Norton and team captain Brandon Davis from DeWinton.
“This year there was a tremendous amount of depth in the draft and a lot of dominant players ageing out or moving to Junior A,” Millar said. “It’s hard to see where the teams will be this year. Picking out the talent in the draft and preparing the new players is always important, but even more so this season.
“It’s more up in the air than I’ve seen it before.”
The Marauders open the season on April 30 at 7 p.m. on its home floor, Murray Arena, versus the Sherwood Park Titans.
For more schedule information go to rockymountainlax.com
